The trucking industry is a large segment of the economy and is important in carrying a very large amount of freight of various types and configurations. One common type of truck and trailer is the enclosed cargo style which typically includes a surrounding enclosure which is used to cover loads and protect them from the weather. The enclosed cargo style trucks and trailers are successful in protecting the load against weather and other hazzards in most situations; however, they are not as easily loaded as flatbed style trucks and trailers. Most enclosed cargo style trucks and trailers have rear doors which are fine for small loads, but disadvantageous when loading large and long items. For example, large equipment, structural steel, reinforcing steel, long timbers and a number of other types of loads are much easier to load from the side and without any impeding side walls. Alternatively, such loads may be easily loaded using a crane or overhead hoist which brings the load down onto the truck or trailer bed.
The prior art includes a number of earlier systems which employ a tarpaulin or other flexible cover to cover truck and trailer beds. These flexible cover systems are varied in their configurations. Some are designed to be convertible between open and closed positions. This provides added convenience to the trucker with regard to opening the truck or trailer for loading, and then closing the system for highway travel. Some of these convertible cover systems use one or more cables which allows the cover to be supported and slid thereon between the open and closed positions. In some the cables are difficult or numerous to remove or do not remove to allow for more convenient loading. In others the cable systems are prone to difficulty in operation.
More traditional methods for covering loads with tarpaulins or similar covers involve simply wrapping the load with the cover and securing the cover to the vehicle bed or the load being wrapped. In some situations the loads shift during travel due to braking, acceleration, inclines, bumps or other road movements. These shifting actions can lead to damage or destruction of the tarpaulins. Weather can then reach the load, in some cases causing costly damage which often affects both the shipper and recipient with either monetary costs or lost time associated with repair or replacement of the damaged cargo.
Traditional tarpaulins and many of the convertible cover systems require substantial amounts of time to properly place and secure the covers. This is time which can more economically be spent in traveling to the next location. Thus, there is a long-standing and continuing need for a cover systems for trucks and trailers which is easy to operate and can be quickly retracted or extended. There is also need for a cover system which is effective at excluding moisture and other weather from the loads being carried by trucks and trailers.
These and other considerations have been partially or fully addressed by the current invention which is described more fully below. Additional benefits and advantages of the current invention will either be given in the following description, or will be apparent from the nature of the invention and the description given herein.